Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Serious harvest, funny carrots

Yesterday it was 104 degrees in DC. Today, it was predicted to reach at least 100 again. This was why I decided to do some morning gardening. Despite the insect horrors that I posted about the other day, I can't be kept out of the garden. I told myself to stop being such a freaking baby about it and decided that should I happen to meet my nemesis in the garden, I would meet it with nerves of steel (anyway, the de-hornwormer-for-hire sleeps in until noon these days, so I was on my own). I'm happy to report that I did not find any additional hornworms today, though one of my gorgeous Japanese black trifeles was eaten in half.


I found the carrot bed had to be cleaned up. The goal each year is to sow seeds generously and thin later. Each year, I forget this task. The thing is, I've never been successful with carrots. This short post from last year shows what I typically "harvest". The carrots this season are in my "magic garden" where everything grows - and grow they did. I never got around to thinning them and then decided they'd probably produce nothing edible since they'd be too crowded. I left them for dead. I don't know what my problem is - perhaps it's a lack of confidence - maybe in myself - maybe in my little garden. When I actually dug up my garlic the other day, there were bulbs. And when I pulled the carrots today...there were carrots! I'm pleased enough to be comfortable with calling this a harvest (even without the quotes around it).


In addition, I may have grown some real winners as well!


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Most Ambitious Carrot



Suicidal Carrot


Carrot Most Likely to Get Around (in the literal sense)


Size is just a matter of perception...


Freddie Krueger!


This one has birthed children


OK, in all seriousness, thin your carrots!!!

Posted by Wendy at 9:00 PM
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22 comments:

  1. Looks like your magic garden is really magical after all! That's a lot of carrots Wendy. You going to can some?

    That suicidal carrot is really funny ;-D
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  2. I got a good chuckle out of those carrot descriptions! I have expressed doubts in my gardening ability for growing tomatoes and anything from seed. However, a little success goes a long way!
    Did you finish your master gardener program? I'm sure 104 in DC is unbearable with the humidity....:/
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  3. Wendy, I love your writing. Very entertaining. I'm the kind of person who loves to look at pictures and get discouraged if there is too much text. Your words kept me reading and reading.
    Beautiful Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes, teardrop shape, kind of.
    Damned be those hornworms!!! Never seen them before, and never want to again. The size of that poop is bigger than a squirrel's poop.
    Saw that your daughter has the "pincher" like my boys have. Never thought to use it in the garden though.
    With the risk of turning this comment into a novel, I just want to comment also on the carrots- I do the same thing. Sow heavy and no thinning. Kind of forget (procrastinate) for some reason, and I also find it hard to pull out carrot babies.
    Love the mutations, makes for some good laughs. Bet the kids enjoyed them.

    We're a few degrees cooler here today and have a few clouds. Makes a difference.
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  4. LOLOL Aren't carrots the best? We've had so much fun pulling up all the funky looking ones. Glad to see you got a nice harvest this year, garden carrots are the absolute best!
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  5. LOL..this is why I don't grow carrots, but, I KNOW EXACTLY what my problem is...I'm lazy..HA!
    Hands down (or is it hands up!)my fave is Freddie K! Love that one!

    So...were they as sweet as they look?

    Lynn
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  6. LOL.

    Enjoy that heat....

    Your carrots have boobs? That's a new one. I just thinned my turnips or what was left of them after the hail.
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  7. Thanks for commenting!!

    Stephanie - I'm a little overwhelmed. I think carrots are more fun to grow than eat. Don't know what I"ll do with them? Maybe juice them all for a decadent treat?

    Hi Amy - thanks for asking, I'm currently working on my hours for the MG program. It's really fulfilling and the activities available to Master Gardeners are awesome!

    Hello Annelie - thanks so much for your kind words! I tend to be verbose - am working on that! The funny thing about the toy is that the hornworm was not coming off and my daughter tried to tell me she'd pick it off with her hands for double the cash. I was like, use the pinchers or forget it (mom's better at bluffing!)!

    Julie, Lynn, Rosey - thanks for visiting!!!
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  8. wow, I so much wish that I had a green thumb! We live in Baltimore and most of my annuals have fried from this heatwave! The carrots look wonderful.
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  9. Wendy, your leave-it-for-dead harvest reminds me of the radishes I let overwinter this year. I totally thought they'd die in the cold months and when they didn't begin to fatten up in time for Thanksgiving, I didn't bother to do a final thinning. Could it be that we just don't know these plants well enough yet to guess when our efforts will be in vain?

    Not sure. But whatever the case, the gallery of carrot personalities was awesome. Two thumbs up!
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  10. Wendy, I love your sense of humor and your fine eye for the funny.

    Quirks of carrots - what could be neater?
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  11. aloha wendy,

    love your carrot story and pics, love veggies with a funny twist or is the twisted minds of the gardener :)

    btw, i did a whole series of posts on my plantfanatic blog on my visit to DC, would love to see your take on some of these places...love DC big time!

    thanks for visiting my sari sari blog too!
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  12. Thank you for visiting and commenting on my blog. You have a bountiful harvest of carrots. I like how you describe them.
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  13. You sure had some fun looking carrots - as long as they taste good thats all that matters. Hope you enjoy eating from your harvest. :) Rosie
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  14. 100 degrees?? Holy! Send some heat over here, will ya? It's so cold in San Francisco. Fog and cold wind!

    Congrats on your carrots :) Some of my zucchinis from a few years ago grew funny like some of your carrots. I had a few 'siamese twins'.
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  15. Hi Wendy, thanks for stopping by my blog. Yes, the full cultivar name of said tomato is Japanese black trifele--I just take shortcuts, which is also why I call nasturtiums nasty. It's not that I don't like them!

    Love your carrot descriptions. I wonder how you would describe this one of mine http://twitpic.com/241xty (either Fingerling or Parex), grown in container--all others were normal shape!
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  16. Nice harvest, I tried carrots for the last two years and both years were a bust, maybe this coming winter will be the charm. I am in S. Florida planting is opposite yours.
    PS I like your blog
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  17. Oh Wendy you had me laughing out loud! Great crop o' carrots!

    Did you know that hornworms turn into Sphinx moths, the nighttime hummingbirds?
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  18. Your carrots certainly have personality. You could write a play and give them all parts carrotcher actors, donch know.
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  19. Very cool. I'm always amused by the shapes of root crops in my less-than-ideal soils. I don't think Freddi Krueger has come for a visit, however...
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  20. Its really cute to see all the variety of funny carrots in all their shapes and sizes.
    Regardless, I hope you enjoy those delicious carrots.
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  21. Hi Wendy, this is a seriously impressive harvest. Not only good to eat but cute and funny and characterful as well. congrats.

    I'm back from cambodia will post about it for a while.(got to do something with 407 photos after culling!) Didn't visit that NGO after all that you said sounded interesting.

    Cheers, catmint
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  22. Wendy, your "carrot commentary" is so funny. I've had the same experience. Someone told me once that carrots can often end up growing strangely if the soil is too rich. Whatever, either way you DO have to thin them!
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